Midnight Interlude (Version 2)
by Ms.MaraJade
Summary: While wandering through the palace during the dead of night, the memories that haunt Princess Allura reveal the companionship before her.


_Author Notes_: The original "Midnight Interlude" was my first fanfic that I posted to many years ago. I will always be grateful to KittyLynne for taking the time with a then-newbie to show me some of the ways to improve my writing. Over the years, I remained an avid reader, soaking up novels by my favorite authors, and I continued to practice my writing, expanding into different fan fiction genres. During some of my fan fiction stories, I even developed my own original characters. However, because "Midnight Interlude" truly was my first story, I felt the time had come to give it the quality and justice it deserved after reading it with more mature and experienced eyes. I hope you enjoy this further developed version as much – or maybe even more – than the original.

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing, and I make no money. I only write about what I enjoy.

_Summary_: While wandering through the palace during the dead of night, the memories that haunt Princess Allura reveal the companionship before her.

**Midnight Interlude (Version 2.0)**

Princess Allura was the leader of the planet Arus, not by her choosing or by a majority of votes in a democracy, but by the blood that flowed in her veins. She was the last aristocrat of a monarchy that was alive only because of her lone existence. She had no relatives to share in her responsibilities and no companion who ruled beside her. She was a solitary princess on a war-torn world that struggled every day to earn back even the smallest shred of ordinary living. Sometimes they succeeded in that moment of normalcy, but it sadly only ever lasted for a couple weeks at a time. Then, it was an effort to rebuild once again and maintain persistence that neither she nor her people would willingly become the slaves of the Drule – the enemies from another planet in her galaxy who had invaded her world time and again.

Sighing softly, the young princess wandered the deserted halls of her beloved castle, shifting her thoughts from the world of refugees that Arus had become, concentrating instead on her own personal thoughts. At some point, she had come to the realization that when she was awake at this hour by herself, she could savor the peaceful quiet and move about freely in the darkness. In the daylight, she was visibly the ruler of her planet, but under the cover of night she was anonymous and could be anyone she wished simply because the night held no expectations without the gazes of others to judge her.

Feeling a small smile curve on her lips, Allura thought back to the days of her childhood, the days when the castle was an architectural miracle that stood the test of time, having been built centuries before from stone and organic materials. The walls were always cool to her touch in that slightly damp kind of way, as the porosity of the stones could not keep out all moisture entirely. While Allura wasn't always fond of the dampness, she used to imagine the ghosts of the previous inhabitants that the castle had housed over the years. When she was once full of naivety, she had often envisioned beautiful dresses on stately women and uniforms on proud men wandering the halls in the quiet of night. Smiling in the memory of those once-innocent thoughts, she had come to the conclusion that her childhood visions simply repeated over the years and the only real change was the style of clothing the people wore. There were still expectations of women to be fragile and beautiful while the uniformed men made the decisions and defended the planet.

However, those expectations had been entirely turned upside down some time after the Earthen space explorers had found themselves as residents on Arus. With the revival of the ancient mecha warrior, Voltron, to defend the planet, the times had changed considerably, and one of those changes included the castle itself.

Sliding her hand delicately along the smooth metal wall, Allura took a moment to relish the smirk she felt upon her face. The remnants of the old castle had crumbled when the secret titanium castle beneath the ground rose forth. The now-modern and sturdy castle was the ancient Arusians' way of avenging what Zarkon and his Drule forces had done to their planet, and with that thought, Allura took a moment to reminisce about the time she and the space explorers had discussed the castle's transformation. The Earthen man, Lance, had explained that the rise of the titanium castle was equivalent to that of a very impolite hand gesture used on his native Earth. Allowing a small laugh now, Allura remembered how Lance had stood upon a chair and held his arm straight towards the ceiling, all his fingers curled into a fist except for the middle one, and the look on his face was one of mock arrogance.

Running her fingertips along a particular segment of the wall, Allura thought back to the fissure that once was in this section of the old castle. She used to slip small papers inside it for no particular reason, other than it was something for a bored child to do. However, one day a small note was left in the crack begging her not to litter its doorway, and Allura was then convinced that there was a magical creature on the other side. She started writing letters and leaving drawings behind for the creature, but it wasn't until she was older that she came to the realization that her father had been her concealed friend because that was the point when she started to recognize his handwriting.

Moving along from the non-existent crack and the memories left in that place, Allura adjusted her eyes to the faded light that clung to the intersections. She could remember a time when the halls were filled with portraits and paintings of her ancestors as well as the depictions of early battles. Small lights had hung above each of the decorations, making the murky hallways seem scary to a child, as the eyes of those portraits and paintings appeared to follow her. Now, Allura walked quietly down corridors that were bare from such decorations, and if not for the dim, but small running lights along the ceiling, the path would be doused in complete darkness.

Sadly, the bare walls on this newer castle also reminded Allura that evil forces were still prevalent in the galaxy, as there simply was no time to seek new artwork with which to line the hallways. With so many enemies planning and conspiring to impose a surrender of her people, Allura knew that it wasn't just dominance over the Arusians that these enemies wanted. They sought ownership of Voltron, hoping to use the mighty robot for oppression rather than defense, and it was part of the reason she fought so hard in every battle against those enemies. She knew that if Voltron ever landed in the wrong hands, the galaxy as they knew it would change forever, and in a direction far worse than the horrors that the Drule had already executed.

Feeling one of her hands drop at the thought of the ongoing war with the Drule and what would happen if they ever gained control of Voltron, Allura suppressed the sigh that tried to overcome her as her fingers grazed the material of her pale, pink gown. The satin was cool to her touch, and she suddenly felt very small and awkward within the material. The gown was the ensemble she wore for formal functions, and the discussions she had to manage with the visiting diplomats earlier this afternoon had taken far longer than she had hoped. They had left very late in the evening, and she had decided that she would bear the weight of the gown for a couple hours longer.

Allura considered the notion that her childhood might have consisted of diplomats and dignitaries in beautiful ball gowns and formal uniforms, but the need for lavish clothing was insignificant under the duress of war. She had come to the conclusion that Nanny and Coran still hoped for a return to Arus' peaceful past, and by keeping Allura dressed like an Arusian doll, their dream could not die entirely. Still, Allura was certain that they also believed that if she looked like a princess, she would continue to be a princess, and then she would wed a prince that would bring "rightful" heirs to the throne.

Shaking her head at the chances of finding a prince that suited her, Allura made a conscious effort to tread lightly along the floor, listening to the fabric of her skirts brushing along the smooth surface. She lifted the hem slightly and held her breath as she moved past the servants' quarters, certain that Nanny never slept and that the governess was capable of hearing a hair fall into a pool of water. The last thing she wanted or needed right now was for Nanny to discover her wanderings and force her back to bed, most likely by locking her door from the outside.

Rounding the corner that was Allura's mental checkpoint, she had managed to clear the hallway. Releasing the breath she had been holding during the walk down Nanny's corridor, Allura also liberated the skirt fabric from her hands.

Slipping her fingers into the outer layer of material along the side of her skirts where she modified them to create a small pocket, Allura pulled out the folded wad of light blue material that had been stuffed inside. She brought her hand from her dress and unfolded the cloth to reveal a handkerchief that had developed frays along one of the edges. On the opposite side of the frays was embroidery in the corner depicting a small cluster of butterfly lilies. Rubbing her fingers gently along the torn material, Allura made a mental note to sew the edging to prevent it from disintegrating further, hoping she would remember the meticulous and ornate stitching techniques of embroidery that her mother had once taught her. Thinking of the past again, Allura had a flash of memory in which her mother had used this very handkerchief to wipe away the tears she had cried when she was so very young, usually after some idiotic tomboy stunt she pulled that resulted in a scrapped knee.

Again missing those innocent moments of her youth, Allura realized just how tired and exhausted she was from constantly fighting a war with the Drule and how no end seemed to be in sight. Even though the war had started years ago under her father's reign, she had only been actively involved for the last eight months, after the arrival of the space explorers and their discovery of the Lions that unite together to make up Voltron. Luckily, for the sake of the Arusian people and the space explorers who piloted them, the Lions were resilient machines. However, even after prolonged usage like they were currently receiving, the stress of the battles was starting to wear on them. Hunk and Pidge, for the most part, had found themselves learning mechanics to vehicles and technology unbeknownst to any of them. Still, they somehow persevered with Hunk's penchant for mechanics coupling to Pidge's proclivity for technology, and despite the battles they endured, the Lions were as close to prime condition as they possibly could be while under consistent usage.

Gently rubbing the material of the handkerchief unconsciously, Allura's thoughts shifted from the Lions and wondered what it would take to have Nanny and Coran understand that life on Arus was drastically different than what it was under her father's rule and that it would remain different until there was peace again. And as Allura's fingers brushed against themselves, she looked down to a small, rough patch of skin that she sometimes forgot existed. It was one of many lines over her fingers and hands, but this one was significantly larger than the rest. This particular scar was from when her hand had caught under the control panel during a battle, and it had gouged her skin to the point she needed steri-stitching to seal the cut. On the inside of her hands, her palms were not much smoother, as calluses had taken residence on the balls of her hands and along the inside of her fingers.

_Battle damage_, she mused silently. She nearly laughed at the thought of having become a battle-damaged princess – nothing short of a royal warrior. But, she knew that the alternate was unthinkable. She certainly could not sit in the confines of a war room, hidden away in secret while others fought and died for her. She was far from the scared little girl that had watched the brutal deaths of her parents, and while she had her fears like anyone else, she had to rise above them in order to defend her people. It was just a matter of trying to convince Nanny and Coran that the harm and death of her people and her friends was far more dangerous than her own death. Arus would no longer have a monarchy without her, but she knew there were plenty of people – like Coran – who were capable of taking on leadership roles with compassion and wisdom. She just hoped that one day he would see that he was entirely capable of being a good and just leader and his experience as royal advisor under her father's reign had provided him with more than appropriate experience in handling a monarchy.

Shaking her head in certainty that she would never convince Coran of his true worth, Allura now returned the handkerchief to its hidden pocket inside her gown's skirts, taking a moment to truly study the miniscule, disfigured marks on her hands. She remembered how Nanny had chastised her for weeks after seeing the first cut and how the servant's gruff voice was full of horrific ideas about how she would never win the love of a prince. She complained how no prince would want to hold "manly" hands that were rough and worn but that a prince would want skin that was smooth and unflawed. Immediately to that comment, Allura had responded to Nanny that she did not wish to be someone's perfectly preserved doll. She had told Nanny that if a prince did not want a wife who was willing to defend him or the people they ruled over, then that was not a prince worthy of her affection. Nanny had deaf ears to Allura's common sense, and instead the servant begged Allura to maintain her beauty, demanding that she preserve her pristine appeal or a rightful husband would never be found. Allura now did her best to avoid letting Nanny see or feel her hands, especially with the row of calluses that had developed on the balls of her palms.

Studying further the damage to her once-pristine skin, Allura looked carefully at the visible indication of how strongly she fought for her planet. Slowly moving her hands into loose fists, she could still feel the controls of her Blue Lion clutched within her grasp and how the pit of her stomach had risen into her throat during many of those battles. So many times she had plummeted towards the ground or barely skimmed around enemy fire, and her adrenaline-charged death-grasp was the only thing that kept her mind from shutting down in terror.

Closing her eyes and taking a calming breath, Allura cleared her head of the battles and the continuing war. She did not take these carefully-chosen nightly walks with the intention of thinking about combat. The wanderings had started as a means of seeking serenity and quiet in the calm of the night while there was no one around. The walks had slowly grown into a habit in the last couple weeks, however, as her sleep had become overwrought with an interwoven clutter of dreams and nightmares. Her sleeping hours had become a restless mess, where she found herself awake and confused more than resting fully throughout the night.

Just a week ago, her dreams had her flying her Blue Lion where she was free from the surrogate parents and the responsibilities of ruling over her people. As she maneuvered through the beautiful skies above Arus, the Blue Lion spun and dived, and climbed and looped with an instinct that was not entirely Allura's. In that dream, Allura had become more of the passenger on a thrill ride, and she laughed in delight as the Blue Lion took her to places around Arus that had somehow managed to avoid the Drule's destruction. Then the visions of freedom and joy had morphed, shifting into panic as she ran through the halls of her castle. In the darkness of her dream, she had heard Prince Lotor's pounding footsteps behind her and saw flashes of his white hair billowing in the faint light above them. Her heart had beaten painfully in her chest, matching his stomping behind her, as she knew she had to escape the son of King Zarkon, the Drule's leader. If Lotor caught her, he would be brutal in his attempts at adoration, turning his obsession and lust for her into a twisted version of affection. Running with spent lungs and tired muscles, Allura thought she had safely made it to the control room so she could flee on her Blue Lion, but then his arms had come around her and crushed her. Her vision had then grown blurry, and she awoke to realize she had been crying in her sleep.

Countless times Allura had told herself that it was just a nightmare, her mind's way of releasing stress and fear, but something about it had felt so very real, and that's what had frightened her. Last night's dream was no different, and it was the reason why Allura came to wander the halls tonight. This time the dream wasn't just Allura flying solo in her Blue Lion. On this trip, Keith had joined her in his Black Lion, and they flew beside each other, feeling joyful and complete. They ran free and high in the skies, discovering Arus' distant mountains and windswept meadows that the Drule had not found yet. Then, the skies grew dark, and as though looking down from above, Allura saw both their Lions crashed on the ground. She freely dived, strangely aware that she could fly, and ran to look for Keith amongst the wreckage. When she found him, his body was battered, blood smeared over his uniform and his face. His helmet had been destroyed in the crash, the shattered pieces of it lying within a couple feet of his crushed skull. Kneeling over his body and holding onto his chest, she cried in agony, her lungs in so much pain that she could not breathe. She begged him through her tears and lack of air to stay with her, to help them fight their enemies, to live for everyone who needed him, and then he disappeared from her hands before she could tell him…to love. And, that was what had her so shaken. She dared to use the word "love," even in a dream about Keith, and somehow that word had slipped free from the protective wall where she had fought to keep it for so long.

Firming up her resolve, Allura pushed the dreams aside and started down the hallways again, making fists with her hands to stop the shaking that had started. She realized suddenly that her shivers were not because she was frightened but because she was angry. She wondered how she could dare have such a dream that caused harm to a man she considered a friend and a loyal protector. But, as she swallowed down the anger, she also wondered if her anger was because she truly had developed the very feelings she knew she could not experience, and she was terrified about bringing herself to admit it – even if it was only to herself that she admitted the emotions.

She rubbed her eyes gently with the heels of her hands, fighting against the edges of fatigue that had finally started to pull her into its grasp, knowing that she had affections for every member of the Voltron Force, and she should not feel so strongly for just one of them. They had so suddenly come into her life and were all so endearing in their own ways that it would be heartless to not develop any kind of compassion for each of them.

Hunk was the pilot of the Yellow Lion, and for many people he tended to come across at first glance as a man who merely had a hearty appetite and was a bit bumbling, but he was so much more than those initial appearances. He was fiercely loyal to the Voltron Force and the Arusian people as a whole. When in combat, he often saw the little things that no one else noticed, and it was his keen sense of battle that many times shifted the tide towards Voltron's victories. Hunk also spent his free time fixing up vehicles and machines for the people to use to help with their daily lives, and he had a child-like joy about him that made him so endearing to the children of Arus. He had even put some of his own funds into buying games and toys for many of the children, and he had referred to himself on occasion as the Arusian version of Earth's Santa Claus.

Pidge piloted the Green Lion, and he was as much the opposite of Hunk as he was his perfect compliment. Pidge was still a child himself, hovering within his later teen years, and there was a spark of innocence still about him, the only reminder that he was somewhat younger than the rest of them. However, he was wise beyond his years in technology. He seemed to talk to the Lions in a language of diagnostics and programming, and with Hunk by his side the two were unstoppable in their quest for giving Arus proper technology and working machinery.

Lance was a complicated man who helmed the Red Lion, but his loyalty was somehow even unmatched by Hunk's. He rarely talked about his past, keeping his life before the space academy shrouded in mystery. Allura suspected that his sense of humor was more of a defense mechanism for dealing with serious issues, and it was a way to deflect anyone from getting too close to his past. She trusted him entirely, just as she did any of the others, and she could see he was a truly good man. She suspected that under the right relationship, Lance would open himself and share his secrets, and she was more than certain that at some point Keith had learned everything there was to know about Lance. Allura also suspected Keith was the only person who ever had learned Lance's past, and that was part of the reason the two of them were closer than brothers.

And as Allura's thoughts shifted to Keith, she felt that twinge of anger simmering beneath. There was no denying that he was protective of the entire team, sometimes more so with her than anyone else. Keith was even protective of Nanny and Coran, despite their negative reactions to him for allowing Allura to fly the Blue Lion. Still, he protected them as he would any of the Arusian people, and it was his lack of discrimination to their protection that gave him a different kind of respect from Coran than the others received. Keith was their leader based on orders from Galaxy Garrison, but because he did not demand total obedience, he was their leader in their hearts as well. He was always willing to listen to their observations and concerns and revise strategies or tactics. It was one of the ways he was so unique as a commanding officer, and it was very rare.

Allura recalled how Keith had selflessly guided the team in countless missions and battles, taking the path that wasn't always easy but it was the path that would bring about the ethical victory. Even if they were not able to win the war, at least the victory won their morale. Like so many others, Keith knew that the war would be long and dreary, and often Allura wondered how he kept himself together. As the leader of a planet – one that was under considerable strife – she had to stop occasionally and allow herself a breakdown. On those rare days when it all was just too much for her to bear, she had locked herself in the bowels of the castle where she was certain no one would find her. In the solitude of her secret place, she had collapsed to her knees and just let the tears and pain free, as her grief for everyone she cared about consumed her. Sometimes she would cry for unknown hours, prolonging her departure from the cavern while she threw pieces of debris at the solid rock wall until her arms were sore and her shouts of hatred for Zarkon and his forces brought her voice to a numbing hoarseness. It was the only place she could scream in angst for all the people that had been injured or killed, and there was no one in the cavern who could tell her that her behavior was unladylike or unworthy of a royal leader.

Taking a deep breath to calm down the rage that wanted to rise from within her every time she thought about her improvised therapy sessions, Allura now found herself smirking wildly. She nearly laughed at the thought of Nanny and Coran stumbling across her while she was in one of her private rages. They always thought she was so innocent, so fragile, and she knew that if they caught her battling her demons like a child in a temper-tantrum, they would have every reason to never seen her as an adult. As far as Allura was concerned, her guardians will always perceive her as the child she was when her parents died, but Allura knew that she was far stronger than they could ever imagine. She had lived through the deaths of her parents, the raids on her planet, and now she had earned her ranking as a pilot in an armored Lion.

Perhaps, that was why Allura thought she had started to find something common in Keith. She was certain that he saw her strength, and although he was protective of her because of her royal status, he was never patronizing about it. The other Voltron members tried to talk her out of many of the strategic plans, the insane schemes, and the adrenaline-charged moment of action. No matter how much Keith's eyes disagreed with Allura's involvement, though, he knew there was no other choice, and he would nod his head silently to his companions, and the others would settle down long enough to know that there was no room for a debate when the planet needed them.

A muffled chime suddenly sounded, electronic but bell-like, in its high-pitched rhythmic tinkle. Allura looked up and knew that she was nearing the ballroom now, where the large mantle clock was striking the very late hour. Sleep was far from her mind once again, and she was compelled to continue her journey to the ballroom.

As she entered the large room, it was too dark to discern much, but a few lights in the far corners kept it just bright enough to avoid the obstacles of tables and chairs that were neatly lined along the walls. The open flooring had been etched with the design of the crest of Arus centered under a clear coating on the boards, but with the minimum light, it simply was an abyss of darkness.

A flashback entered into Allura's mind as she moved over the wooden floorboards, and she was transported back to the days of the old castle. The fireplace mantle had originally been built from stone that was smooth and shiny, swirled with natural designs in light tan and white. A small orchestra had played on the left of the fireplace, their stringed instruments able to fill the large room with music and rhythm. Couples swirled along the floor in fancy attire, colors blending around the room in what appeared to be patterns as they danced formally.

While in the memories, Allura saw herself as a very young child weaving around the guests, dancing to her own orchestra. She had heard Nanny calling for her, and the young princess giggled as the governess tried to follow her lead, only to have Nanny trip over guests and apologize for her clumsiness. When Nanny had finally caught up to Allura, she threatened to take her to bed right away, but Allura's mother had stepped in and chided the servant. She insisted that there was no harm in Allura's presence, and her daughter's rattling behavior had not upset any of the guests. In fact, her mother had argued that there were other children present, and it would have been better for Allura to socialize than to be alone in her room, even if that socialization would have brought some small excitement. While Nanny had not been happy about the arrangement, she knew that it was unwise to argue with her queen.

Smiling at the memories, Allura's hand brushed across the position of the new fireplace where the old stones used to rest on its predecessor. Over the smooth metal, Allura's fingers sought the faint edge that she knew was there. The metal was cold, seeming lifeless compared to the old stone castle, but after a moment, Allura found the edge she wanted. She pressed gently against the metal panel, and it popped ajar. While the springs beneath clicked softly, the silence intensified the noise, and Allura caught her breath in surprise. She spun her head behind her to be certain no one had followed her and was relieved when only darkness and stillness responded.

Allura pushed the panel slightly to the right, and it revealed a compartment that only had enough room in it for a small diary. Instead of a book in the slot, though, she pulled out a small, wooden box that had a lid covered in blue velvet. Bringing the container to her in the dim light, Allura lifted the lid and looked at the contents inside. Her eyes caught sight of the portraits of her mother and father, a violet-stoned golden ring, an engraved sash pin with the crest of Arus, and several letters in envelopes that had been opened.

Having read the letters numerous times before, Allura had them memorized. One of the letters was her mother's life story, written in her own handwriting so that Allura would always have a remembrance of who she was before becoming Arus' queen. Another letter was from her father, describing who he had been as a child and a young man before the task of becoming king was handed down to him from his father. The other documents were love letters her parents had written to each other during times in which each of them were away on royal undertakings.

Lifting the ring, like she had so many times before, Allura studied it to be certain it had remained pristine and not developed any scratches in the stone. She had decided that her mother's engagement ring deserved to be carefully preserved after Zarkon had managed to pillage all of the other jewelry. Both the ring and the pin had been salvaged only because Allura had sneaked them out of her parent's jewelry boxes the morning of the attack in an effort to give them to her large-sized dolls, as she wanted to recreate her parent's wedding with her toys. She had planned to put the purple-stoned engagement ring on her empress doll and the sash pin on her warrior knight's doll. However, with the attack that had taken place, the jewelry ended up in Allura's pockets of her dress rather than on her dolls. After the surviving castle staff had rendezvoused later that afternoon in the caves, Coran found Allura and immediately had smiled with tears in his eyes as Allura had cried over the belief that she had caused Zarkon's attack because she thought the Drule were punishing her for her thievery. Coran had so gently and kindly explained to her that she had done a wonderful thing to save something of her parents, and he presented her with the box of letters that she continued to use to store those precious belongings. Coran had explained how he was responsible for safekeeping the box of letters for when Allura had grown to an age where she could be presented with them or in the event that something catastrophic happened.

Fighting against the memories of that horrific day, Allura returned her thoughts back to the present and looked at the jewelry in her hand. Satisfied that the ring had remained untouched by anyone but her, Allura put it back in the box. Then with the same scrutiny, she studied the sash pin. She looked deeply into the grooves of the family crest that was engraved on it, relieved that there were no fingerprints or dents.

"Rough night for you, too?"

Gasping at the sound of anything other than her own breathing and movements, Allura slammed the lid onto the box and spun in fright even though she recognized his voice. With the room so dead quiet and the fact that there was no sound other than the ones she was creating, she had been easily startled, and her heart banged to a rhythm so hammering she could hear it in her ears.

Realizing that his intrusion on her privacy had taken her entirely by surprise, Keith softly apologized. "Forgive me, Princess. I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you might have heard me enter."

Breathing to compose herself, Allura closed her eyes and settled her shaking nerves. With her thoughts so lost on the day of her parents' deaths, she had unknowingly allowed herself to grow blind and deaf in the darkness. However, Keith did not need to see her relive that day, and she decided instead to focus on the present. Opening her eyes, she looked to him and recognized his dark hair and dark eyes in the dim light. She also noted that he had also not bothered with changing into sleepwear after the departure of the diplomats. He was still dressed in his casual red attire, but he had the collar opened with the zipper down below his throat, and she thought that odd since he was always so proper and thorough. However, she decided not to dwell on that strange quirk, certain he was just tired from the long day and had loosened his clothing to give himself a little breathing room. Then, she had the fleeting thought about the two of them wandering opposite sides of the castle for half the night, but pushed it aside as she was certain that Keith was not one for late wanderings.

"I'm sorry for being so startled," she explained quietly, "I wasn't expecting anyone else at this hour."

"I know."

Keith's reply was quick – almost too quick – and Allura clutched the secret box tightly towards her chest, suddenly unable to look away from him. She started to feel that little bubble of anger inside her, and she dared to wonder why she would feel that way. Even in the dim light, she could not see any malicious intent in his dark eyes, and as he looked towards her, there was only the reflection of a commanding officer and a friend looking back at her. Maybe what angered her, though, was that inside the officer and the friend, she could unmistakably see that he knew something was out of place.

"This isn't the first night you couldn't sleep well," he said calmly.

His words moved the bubble of anger just a little higher, and she immediately had the impression that if he was following her around the castle in the darkness of night, then someone must have warned him of her sleepless nights. "Who dared relay to you my sleeping habits?"

"No one," he told her calmly. "But, you're not the only one who has ever experienced sleeplessness. There are signs I've noticed, and I wanted to make certain you are okay."

Allura studied his eyes, finding no shift and no lie in them. Sighing in relief that there were no ill-intentions, she decided that maybe she was just stressed from the long day of diplomatic duties. Rubbing an invisible itch on her forehead, she told him, "This hour of the night is the only time I can wander free without someone telling me what to do or why it's dangerous to do what I want to do."

Keith relaxed visibly at her reply. He was aware how he could shine the commanding officer through his expressions, and while that part of him had softened, the part of him that was her friend stayed guarded. "Everyone is concerned for you. You know that."

"But, that is the problem," Allura now insisted. "I'm not a child, and I'm not some piece of glass."

"But, you are human." He spoke it so quickly that it came on instinct, and he found the words almost odd-sounding, as the scientific portion of his statement about how humans need eight hours of sleep crumbled before he could say it. He wondered why he would say something so foolish when it was obvious that the princess was human, but somehow as soon as he said it, she changed in his mind from a princess to a…woman. Then, he pushed that thought aside. He knew full-well – maybe too well – that she was indeed a woman. He tried not to dwell on the curves that made up her body and how certain outfits accentuated those curves, and he was always fighting to not stare at her long, amber curls. He always found her hair beautiful, whether it was pulled up in a bun or falling free like it was tonight. Then, he thought that maybe the fact that she had removed her ornamental braids and her headpiece might have been what prompted his thoughts to be so loose.

However, he also realized that his words had sparked something in her sapphire-blue eyes. They were unusually defiant, as though she was expecting to have to fight with him, and while he knew he was her greatest ally, even he had to deny some of her requests from time to time. Still, somewhere within that defiance, he was certain that he saw her enduring trust, the kind of trust she had for him that he would always do what was best for the team. There was just something a little slanted about it tonight, not in the manner of it being broken, but in that it was somehow shining differently. Then, he pushed that thought aside. He needed to keep his distance and not allow his imagination to continually conjure the kinds of thoughts that he had struggled with having for the last couple weeks. More than once, he had to remind himself that even though she was the princess, he was the commanding officer, and military protocols demanded better propriety when royalty was involved. She was a member of the team and had taken on a military role by becoming a pilot and by doing so, she had proven that she was as strong a member of the team as any of them. His respect for her was more so because she took command of her Lion and flew into battle to defend her people and her planet.

"I am no more human than you, Keith," Allura said, shortness in her words breaking him from his ruminations. "That is a useless argument, and you know it."

Bringing his thoughts back to the discussion before him, the Voltron commander knew he had to try something different if he wanted to get to the bottom of her restlessness. "A useless argument would be to tell you that you're a female, and it's the reason why everyone is protective. The gods know you do just as well as the rest of us, but what I will say is that you are the last figure of royalty on this planet, and the people won't know where to go for leadership without you."

"You sound like Coran," Allura told him bluntly. "Has anyone ever thought that maybe it is time for another family to become the leaders of Arus? Gods, it's not because I can't handle it, but because it will allow me the freedom to finally defend this planet as I see fit. Everyone wants what is best for me, but you and I both know that what's best is for the people, even if I'm risking life and limb for them."

At that moment, the princess' strength and wisdom struck him hard, and for once he saw that she truly was a leader far beyond her years. She was no child, and he wondered how Nanny could always treat her as such. Princess Allura had just conceded that she would willingly give up her power and her heritage if it would help her people. A child would find every way to keep her power, just to have something to use as leverage against those who oppose her.

Keith realized that he was starting to see Princess Allura in a capacity beyond a comrade and a monarch. He was starting to see just who she really was beneath that crown and behind the helmet. He could not imagine living like she had with no real companion in which to confide. He started to wonder if anyone ever really talked to her to learn who she truly was, and if he had the opportunity, he was going to make her understand that she was the right woman for the crown.

"Princess, don't you see that you are exactly the leader Arus needs?" he asked her, his words more of a statement of truth. Not sure why he pushed the point further, Keith then pointed to the closed box in her hands. "Your parents knew that."

Allura felt her mouth drop, and that bubble of anger had surfaced dangerously close to popping now. How dare Keith know what was inside the treasure box! She turned away in anger, doing her best not to lash out in words of rage that her privacy had been violated. No one knew about the contents of this box, and she was certain that no one knew about the secret location. She had been so very careful and exact in her wanderings, and she never had any intentions to show anyone the only remaining treasures of her parents.

"Oh gods," Keith whispered, as he suddenly realized his mistake and knew he had to make amends for the obviously-correct assumptions he had. "Princess, I'm sorry. No one will know about your treasure box. I only assumed it as such because I used to hide a box back on Earth with my parents' belongings."

She closed her eyes at the sincerity of his words and the apology in his voice. Then, she realized that he had mentioned his parents, and she knew he never spoke of them. She wondered if maybe he was finally opening up to her, and she wished to know more about him to see if maybe he would tell her more about who he was and how he came to be the caring man that he was.

"Keith, will you ever tell me about them – your parents?" she asked as she slowly turned to look back at him.

Keith felt a weight on his chest at her request. He made it a rule to never talk about his mother and father, and it was something that the others in the Voltron Force knew to never question or mention. The princess did not know that rule because she was not around at the time they all decided to make their statements on what they could and could not discuss with each other. And, after meeting the princess, they had never revisited the topic to see if there was anything she felt was off-limits to their curiosity. With her gentle question, she had unknowingly found a loophole regarding a rule for which she had no knowledge, and for the first time in years, he actually wanted to broach the subject of his parents – with her.

"They were average citizens who led normal lives," he started, realizing that the more he said, the more he wanted to say, and he kept going, filling in gaps he had left in his life for years. "My father was strong in self-defense techniques and started the foundation for what I know. My mother was kind and gentle. She ran a florist shop next door to my father's dojo. They were happy, like you could always see something in their eyes when one spoke of the other. They lit up every room they entered together, and when they disagreed, they would sit for hours trying to resolve it peacefully. I can't remember a Christmas holiday or a birthday where we didn't laugh. When I was in the academy, I couldn't wait for my graduation. I wanted them to see me in my dress uniform receiving my awards. They sacrificed so much so I could attend, and they deserved to know I did their sacrifices justice. Then, just a couple months before graduation, they boarded a plane to take them on a vacation they had planned for years. The plane never arrived. It crashed shortly after take-off, and there were no survivors."

Allura gasped, and she could not help the sadness that shone in her eyes for him. She was certain he saw her sympathy, and she wanted to offer him something in return for sharing the pain he carried within him.

Opening the box in her hands, she stepped closer to Keith. "These are my parents. My mother was a duchess that had lived a quiet existence among three siblings. My father carried the bloodline for Arus, as his ancestors date back centuries to the throne. They met during one of the Arusian holiday festivals. It started with an introduction and a dance and then they both hid away from the crowd. They spent the entire night talking, and made frequent visits to each other's residences for over a year as they courted. They married within two years of meeting. The ring and pin in the box would have been amongst Zarkon's pillages of the castle, if not for the fact that I had taken them from my parents' belongings."

Keith briefly glanced inside the box, seeing the small portraits of the previous king and queen of Arus. He saw that the princess inherited her blue eyes from her father and her blonde hair from her mother. Both of Arus' previous rulers had aspects of their physical traits that reflected on the woman that stood before him today, and in that moment when he compared jaw lines, chins, and cheeks, he realized that Princess Allura's heart had been laid in front of him, just as he had done for her.

"You can read the letters if you like," she offered, raising the box slightly higher.

He put a hand on the box and lowered it marginally, shaking his head. "No, Princess, those letters are yours. Hold them sacred, and keep them for yourself. Be selfish with that part of you."

Allura looked into the box one last time before turning to put it away. She felt the small smile on her lips as she wanted to believe that her parents' smiling faces were happy for her and for who she had become. Then, she put the lid back on and leaned forward, sliding the box back into the secret compartment.

"Why do you keep it in the ballroom?" Keith asked, unable to turn his eyes away from the curls that fell down the length of her back as she was turned from him. His eyes caught how her amber locks spilled around the curves of her waist, covering the petite frame of her back as she locked the panel above the fireplace back into place.

"My room was once tainted by Lotor's presence," she explained while turning back around to face Keith. "He would not think to find these irreplaceable pieces of my heart in an open area of the castle."

Sudden anger filled the commander for a moment as he had a flashback in which he remembered that day all too well. Coran and Nanny in their foolishness had condemned Princess Allura to her room rather than letting her have command of her Blue Lion. Lotor had taken the opportunity to attack the castle, personally targeting the princess' room. He had nearly run off with her, and it was Lotor's lust for the princess that gave them the only advantage for stopping him. Keith had realized then that the princess meant more to them all than just the pilot of a Lion or the leader of a planet. She was their friend, and it was that day when Keith felt the need to silently protect her.

"I wish sometimes we could get Coran and Nanny to understand," he said unthinkingly as he walked with her away from the fireplace.

Allura shook her head, and a sigh was heard in her voice as she headed out of the ballroom. "Until I am married to some prince, they will forever stand in the way."

"That's not what you want, is it?" he asked, following closely, taking a quick moment to notice that as soon as they were in the hallway, she did not take the turn that would lead them towards the sleeping quarters. Instead, they were moving in the direction of the lounge areas, and he tried to think of what else was in that hallway. All he could inventory was the small kitchenette they used, the recreation area, and her personal observation deck.

"Would anyone?" Allura asked, and it took Keith a few moments to remember where they were in the conversation. This was the first time he realized that he actually stopped to talk – truly talk – with her. There was no one around who would interrupt, no one to tease or joke, and no parental figures who would do their best to keep the princess from finding any kind of consolation. Keith could see it was exactly the kind of conversation that she needed – someone to talk with her on her level as an adult with no outside interference.

Allura continued her thoughts as she walked, drawing her eyes on Keith every few steps to be certain he was still listening to her, as he seemed overly quiet. "I don't believe in marriage to someone just to have it. I've always believed in love, even if I am a princess. I saw how my parents were in love, and I'd rather die old and alone than be married to someone whom I could never love."

"But, what about an heir to the throne?" Keith asked. Gods above, if he was going to have this conversation with her, he wanted every last detail. If no one else would allow her the luxury of being heard, he was going to be certain to use this moment and allow her that gift. She truly had no one who would listen to her and understand her, and as the commander of the Voltron Force, he was most at fault for not giving her this time sooner.

"You speak of an heir like a thing, Keith, and you sound as bad as Coran and Nanny. An heir is a baby – a child. It would be irresponsible of me to bring the life of a child into war, especially when that child would be hunted the same way that I am." Allura stopped suddenly in the hallway and allowed the faint glow to show Keith the anger in her eyes. "It seems everyone wants a monarchy that no longer exists, and no one wants to accept that it died out years ago when the first of the Drule's warships destroyed Arus and when Zarkon killed my father."

Keith felt locked under her gaze, as he saw the intensity of emotions in her blue irises. He wondered if these were the kinds of debates that the princess held consistently with Nanny and why the servant seemed so unforgiving in her actions. He wanted to know if Coran ever talked with Princess Allura like this and ever once considered that she might have some kind of sense about her. Both of her guardians had to realize that while restoring a monarchy would be a beautiful thing, the princess had far more knowledge about the future of her planet and the risks involved with keeping old traditions that no longer held any significance. The cost of losing the heirs of the Arusian throne – the children who were innocent beings bred for the tradition of a monarchy – to any enemy was an expense that the princess knew was far more heartbreaking than losing a solitary adult woman who wore a crown because of her guardians' insistence.

And, with that revelation, Keith began to wonder if Princess Allura would ever have the opportunity for a normal life. He tried to envision her smiling and happy with her children around her, and he tried to picture the man beside her who could bring her that life. Then, he clenched his fists at the thought that he would dare consider himself ever worthy of being in that position when he knew that he was not of royal blood, and he was nothing but a pilot. He knew that even if her ideas for a new political structure on Arus were radical, she would forever be a prisoner of the traditions that restricted her freedom. And, in the unlikely event that the princess declared herself a dictator and changed Arus to the freedoms she wanted, there was a propriety that must never be broken between a commander and his pilots. It was that propriety that kept Keith in line when so often he just wanted to brush his fingers against hers or push those curls off her cheek so he could see her face more clearly.

Feeling the tightness in his hand as he kept his fist clenched, Keith brought his thoughts back to tonight and this moment. He needed to be her friend more than anything right now, and he needed her to vent to him in whatever capacity she required. If the team was going to have any hope of functioning properly when it mattered most, he needed assurance that the princess had cleared her thoughts entirely so she could receive appropriate rest.

Allura had decided that in Keith's silence, she had won her argument. Perhaps, she was capable of standing her ground firmly and convincing others to reconsider. She noticed how Keith seemed lost in his own thoughts, looking at her but not really seeing her and how he had grown stiff without anything else to dispute. It was a complete entire contrast from the way she argued against Nanny. Her servant seemed so rehearsed and locked in the thoughts of maintaining a monarchial institution that she refused to see how much Arus and Allura had changed. And with that thought, Allura broke her attention away from Keith to study her hands again.

Verbally, it was easy to declare that she would survive her loneliness while she waited for someone who would love her despite her faults. However, the nagging isolation of having no one as a companion was overwhelming at times, and she had begun to fear that maybe Nanny had been right about never finding a suitor because of her disfigurements.

Distracted by her thoughts and the combat marks permanently etched into her skin, Allura's words were soft, "I've become a battle-damaged princess."

Her words were enough of a disruption that Keith broke his thoughts away from his continued inner struggle to maintain propriety. When the fog over his eyes lifted, he saw the princess studying her hands and the scattering of scars over them.

"Did Nanny tell you that?" he asked.

"No," she replied shaking her head but refusing to look up, as though she could not turn away from the deformities. "It's what I tell myself to help me feel better about risking my life, but Nanny twisted my words. She believes that the damage will make me unworthy of finding a proper husband. She has told me that no man would want my damaged hands on him and that the scars are a repulsing insult to the throne of Arus."

Moving with an instinct that held no conscious effort, Keith suddenly found her hands within his own, and his attention drawn to them. In the dim light, he studied the largest scar. It was no larger than the length of his thumb and only covered the back of her left hand. The white line was smooth and pliable, a sign that the initial cut had healed properly and had received prompt care. The cluster of smaller nicks had come from shrapnel that had exploded in her Lion's cockpit, and if not for using her hands to cover her face, she might have those same marks along her cheeks – or she might have lost an eye. However, that thought suddenly vanished as Keith discovered a pleasantness in touching her hands and feeling their warmth within his own. For as much as she was concerned about her scars, her hands were still far softer than his military-trained hands. His rough callouses had developed over years, and the ones on her hands were far smoother because she had only been training for mere months.

Catching himself beginning to caress her hands with his fingers, Keith forced the insanity of his actions to stop. He had no idea why he would touch her like that, and he had no right to even consider something so intimate. As Keith started to pull his hands from hers, he realized that his fingers were trembling, and he wasn't entirely certain if hers had been as well. But, he decided he could not linger any longer on that. The princess was a pilot, and again he had to remind himself that military protocol would never allow that kind of connection, even if she changed every rule on Arus to accommodate such secret yearning. He told himself that she was more than a princess and more than a pilot. She was his friend, and she deserved the respect of her station as well as that of being his colleague. He had to stop trying to cross the invisible line that was marked between them, and he was going to be certain she knew he was trustworthy of her concerns, not someone seeking moments he knew neither of them could ever share.

"Nanny has no right to insult one of my pilots," he whispered, aware that he could not entirely contain his emotions, and his words came out far heavier than he had intended. "I am honored to have you on my team. You are strong, Princess, full of character and defiance, and only a real leader would risk injury to help her people."

The air around Allura suddenly felt very heavy, and she wished to find the breath that had escaped her lungs. In all the encounters she could ever remember having with Keith, this was the only time she could recall that he moved towards her and touched her without her prompting it first. The surge of heat that overcame her as his hands had taken hers made her feel warm and faint, and the soft caress of his rough fingers sent her head spiraling into a rush of sweet confusion. She studied his dark eyes as they had been angled down to her hands, watching how he seemed in awe of her petite fingers as they rested beneath his. In that moment when he started to slip his hands free from hers, Allura could not bear the pain of losing the connection. Praying he would not reject her actions, she grasped his hands into hers, letting her fingers lace between his. The trembling between their hands melded, and she could no longer tell if it was only her hands shaking or if his were as well.

"I think I needed to hear that," she said quietly, as she kept her irises downward on their entwined hands. "I want others to see me as you do."

Keith had not yet been able to bring himself to look up to her, and he traced the outline of their fingers with his eyes. If he dared to look up, he feared that all the propriety and rules in the galaxy would not be able to keep him from moving closer to the princess. Every day, he tortured himself with seeing her behind an invisible wall, standing just beyond a line that he was forbidden to cross. But, he could see so clearly that behind that invisible wall was a woman with no true allies, and every battle she fought was a solo effort with very little hope of victory.

He felt suddenly foolish and blind to the way even he had thought that most of Nanny's actions were humorous or in a loving, but joking manner. That one time when Princess Allura's servant had taken her over her knee, Keith was immediately amused, but as he had learned more about the princess since that day, he realized that Nanny was overstepping boundaries that no adult should have to endure. And, he had begun to understand even more why Princess Allura carried so much anger inside her and why she only released it when she knew it was safe. The princess' fury was for more than her servant. She held unspoken hatred for Zarkon and his son, Lotor, and she had very few ways to release her disgust from being insulted by Nanny or defeated by her enemies.

"Does releasing your anger in seclusion help?" Keith asked, hoping to learn more about this amazing young woman.

The spiraling of emotions Allura was feeling suddenly slammed to a hard stop, and she felt as though he had slapped her across the face. The bubble of anger began to lift again, just when she thought it had subsided in Keith's presence. She felt her suspicions rising once more, and she pulled her hands free no longer certain about him. "What exactly are you asking?"

Keith's eyes came up to hers and he saw that he had struck a nerve, but he was not about to let this one go. He needed to fully understand exactly how she handled herself in those moments alone and if her makeshift therapy was helping. "I know about your anger sessions below the castle."

Allura took a step back, and her eyes came to his in a blaze of blue. She wanted to know if this man knew every one of her secrets and if he would take away the freedom that her Blue Lion gave her. It seemed Nanny and Coran would try anything to keep her on the ground, and she wondered if allowing Keith into her memories would mark her as a psychological mess. If Keith thought she was not mentally suited for flying, she could not bear the thought of being reconsidered for the team.

Allura started to change the subject, to try and keep something of her actions private. "It's late, and I need to…"

"I saw you one day," Keith interrupted, almost apologetically, as he was aware of her growing anger for knowing what she obviously did not want shared. He decided he could not just walk away from her, not when she carried so much pain. "You're not the only one who needs to blow off steam occasionally. I sometimes find myself in a cavern under the castle, but there was one day when you were already there. I saw you throwing rocks at a wall, and my first reaction was to talk to you and try calming you, but then I realized that you needed the same solitude that I do sometimes."

Leaning forward in concern, he reiterated, "I just want to know if it helps you."

Allura felt the anger suddenly deflate, and her body released its rigid, defending posture. She looked away towards the darkened floor briefly, considering how she felt after releasing that anger. She was trying to determine if she should be concerned that Keith knew so much about her and her actions. He apparently had not reported her actions to anyone, but instead kept his silence to give her the distance she obviously needed to sort through the mental effects she experienced from the Drule battles.

Bringing her eyes back towards him, she saw a different person in Keith's eyes as he awaited her response. He was no longer the commanding officer determining the stability of his pilot or the guardian of Arus concerned over the reliability of the princess who ruled the land. Instead, something in those dark irises had been staring at her as more than a friend, even if he refused to acknowledge it. She saw that he was making every effort to see her as a person, and instinctively, she saw that he had acknowledged her as someone who understood him.

She decided to confess the reasons for her time in the cavern, even though she was certain he had already determined those reasons. "That cavern is the only place where I can fall apart or let my rage run free, and I cannot ever let Nanny or Coran know of it. Should they find out I have the emotions unfit of a princess, they would pull me from the Voltron team."

Keith saw the heartbreak in her eyes at the mention of being denied her responsibilities on the Voltron Force. He knew in his gut that she belonged with Voltron, and while he did not know entirely why, he knew that she belonged there for reasons that were far greater than either his own or Galaxy Garrison's. If Nanny or Coran took the princess off the Voltron Force, he somehow felt that it would leave a significant hole in the mighty mecha that would never be properly satisfied.

"No one will ever know of your sessions in the cavern," he told her softly. "Don't ever stop feeling the emotions of being alive. Sometimes it's all you have."

"Is that how you keep yourself together, Keith?" she asked quietly. She had become very aware that even though he questioned and studied her, he was allowing her to do the same with him.

"When I cannot release my emotions, I revert to solitude," he explained. "The rest of the time I take comfort in my friends and am grateful for the bond we share."

Allura took a deep breath, working up the courage to broach the subject that was so heavy between them. Even she could see that Keith always suppressed certain emotions, and she was so very aware how he constantly pushed his feelings aside, refusing to acknowledge them. There had been moments when they brushed by each other, and the connection of their eyes lingered a second longer than was acceptable. She had few occasions when she touched his hand or arm, and she could have sworn that there was an electrical current between them whenever they had. She wondered what always held him back, and then she thought of her bubble of anger, considering that maybe he had seen it as well, misinterpreting that it was aimed at him. Instead, that bubble was always aimed at herself because she knew if she was not a princess, he would not have kept her at arms' length but he would have taken more opportunities to spend time with her.

Keith had seen the way the princess' eyes had suddenly changed, and he knew that he had to stop her from venturing down the path onto which she was preparing to step. More than once he had seen her blue irises take on that unshielded look. The last time was only a couple weeks ago while they looked through his old memory book from his academy days. At that moment, when her hand had been upon his, he was nearly paralyzed with excitement and anticipation, and he had fought the insanity of wanting to lean towards her. However, he found that he had been strangely grateful for Nanny's interference, and for all the servant's faults, he found her to be the only voice of reason in the entire castle when it came to his attraction to the princess.

"You can't keep hiding from certain emotions," Allura finally told him, hoping he would understand exactly which emotions she meant.

Keith tried to break his eyes away, but he found them locked onto hers. "Releasing certain emotions would bring about dangers far too great."

Her voice was soft, soothing with the truth of her words. "We are at war, Keith, and in constant danger. Any time we have might be shorter than any of us imagine."

Keith swallowed hard as her warm breath caressed over his lips. He had no idea when they moved so close, and he was now aware of the intense pull he felt towards her. He wondered what had happened to that mental barrier he had in place, the one that held firm for nearly eight months, and he could not imagine why it had suddenly become so weakened. He wondered if they had become like magnets that had been forced apart on opposite axis points, only to have one of them turn just enough so that they were now being pulled together.

During his entire life, he always believed that pilots and princesses only existed in fairy stories, the kind of learning fables used to ease the fears of children at bedtime, and now he wondered if he had been wrong his whole life about those tales.

He knew he could not allow himself the hope that he might have earned the affections of a princess because it would risk far too much. Even though the princess had admitted that she didn't wish to marry a prince just for the sake of the throne, a common man could certainly not be worthy of her. However, Keith realized that rank aside, there was so much more at stake than just destroying an invisible boundary between them, as any connection they share would certainly bring about more danger. Coran and Nanny notwithstanding, there was the ever-constant fear of Lotor discovering the princess' affections for anyone else. The Drule prince made no effort to hide his lust for Princess Allura, and his consistent actions against the Arusian people was partially because of her refusal to take him as a suitor.

Blinking his eyes, Keith found his hand upon her cheek, and he wondered how he dared to be so bold. But, as her words rattled around his head, echoing the truth of them, he came to understand why his instincts refused to listen to his sensible judgment. _Any time we have might be shorter than any of us imagine_.

Allura felt her insides churn in ways she had only imagined in her wildest daydreams as the confusion of the moment was so unexpectedly sweet and intense. The heat of his palm upon her skin was maddening, and as his thumb brushed one of her thick locks from her face, she felt the tremble throughout her body. She saw in his dark eyes all the dangers he feared for her and her planet, and she felt them just the same, but as her heart thudded loudly in this moment, she wasn't certain she could fight against these emotions any longer. This was the most alive she had felt in so very long, and she hesitated to walk away from how real this was. She had never felt this kind of genuine compassion from anyone else, and she could see so clearly how much he cared for her. Then, his hushed words broke the sweetened agony she was feeling from his touch.

"Don't allow this, Allura," Keith pleaded, aware now of her warm breath caressing his lips while breathing in the dulled, sweet scent of her perfume. "Please tell me to stop."

Allura tried to imagine walking away tonight and not taking that leap of faith. She did not want to know the regret of refusing what her heart had been telling her all along. Even she knew that until the Drule were ultimately defeated, there would never be any moment of normalcy for any of them, and it was time for them to start making their moments. She would worry about Coran and Nanny when the time came, but for now she needed to share the emotions that she could see in Keith's eyes. And, while she stood before Keith deciding their fate, she realized that this was the first time he had ever spoken her name without a title. It was all the proof she needed to be certain now that Keith had taken his leap of faith, and she was determined to meet him across that chasm of the unknown. Barely able to breathe, her voice trembled as she whispered, "Don't stop."

Keith's eyes closed, knowing that he was sealing their fate, and he figuratively jumped, fearing that eventually they were destined to a horrible end. However, that didn't stop him as he leaned that last fraction towards Allura and allowed his lips to finally brush against hers. He felt her tremble as she sucked in a breath and then she pressed to him in response. The barrier that had always been between them – separating them from one another – finally shattered, and the invisible shards fell to the floor in silence.

Their embrace contained equal parts excitement and nervousness. They each trembled, as neither of them had considered just how powerful their emotions had become from being suppressed for so long. As Keith's hand slipped from her cheek to the back of her neck, he felt the heat of her hair tangle between his fingers. His other hand wrapped around her waist, his palm pressing gently against the small of her back. Allura responded in kind by finding the material of his flight suit on his arms and grasped it, making it seem as though letting go would cause her to tumble down a ravine only she could see.

Their embrace had started carefully and cautiously, but after a few short moments, they were taken into a current of passion that left them breathless. Their kiss grew harder, lips crushing together, and as the time passed, Keith and Allura remained in their endless loop of unspoken but unrestrained emotions.

When the air had finally grown thin and they needed to breathe again, they slowly and gently broke the seal of their lips. Before opening their eyes, they stayed in that position, tempted to bring their lips together once more while trying to replenish their need for air.

When Keith opened his eyes, he saw Allura looking into his irises. As he felt her breathing in his arms, he had so many things he wanted to tell her that he didn't know where to even start. And, the one thing he felt nagging at him most was his sense of duty telling him that he never should have broken that invisible wall.

"Don't regret this, Keith," Allura told him softly, as she saw in his eyes that he had started questioning his actions.

His hand moved from the back of her head, and he brushed his thumb against her cheek once again. "I don't," he answered, lost in the comfort of her touch, "But, I regret any danger that comes because I feel this way for you."

Allura moved one of her hands towards his face and brushed her fingertips across his chin. Her words were argued quietly, "Our lives are always in danger."

Keith fought against the ache he felt in his chest, as her touch made him want to lean into her once again and kiss her sweet lips. However, he tried one last desperate – and what he knew was a hopeless – chance for them to walk away. "Coran and Nanny won't accept us, and Lotor will skewer us…"

"I know," Allura answered softly, cutting off his concerns. She felt the bubble of anger rise within her, and she had decided that she was not going to give up on Keith's affections without a fight. She needed to live as well, and being forced into lonely shadows was as unhealthy as marrying someone without love just to stay in the light. "But, you said yourself that sometimes our emotions are all we have, and I have them…for you."

"Allura," Keith started, prepared to continue the debate and find reasons why they should go separate directions as though this night never happened, but instead he found his original words had fallen to the floor, mixed in with the shards of invisible glass. Something in her eyes showed him that she had already condemned anyone to get between them to a hell only she could devise, and it only intensified his feelings for her. He had seen how she was so strong and authoritative, but so gentle and caring at the same time. She was the rare combination of control and compassion, and for months he had wanted to tell her all the things she needed to hear. Now that there was nothing stopping him, his words summarized into the most powerful ones he could devise. "I love you."

Allura gasped at Keith's revelation, the heat of his words washing over her. She had prepared for an argument, and was taken entirely aback by his expression of pure emotion. It had taken the briefest of moments for the shock to pass when she moved entirely of her instincts and without thought. Her fingers moved from his chin, and both her hands cupped his face. She leaned forward and kissed him with the intensity that his words had filled within her. She felt him return her passion, as his arms moved to come around her and pull her closer, letting her know that he had every intention to keep her safe.

When they grew breathless once again, Keith slowly broke the kiss, allowing his lips to gently graze over hers until they separated. Despite her need for air, Allura didn't fight the words as they slipped free and her eyes opened, "I love you, Keith."

For a long moment, they stood in the empty, darkened hallway and just stared at each other. Their hands slipped free, only to find their fingers entangled before them. To admit their emotions and their love was a step far greater than either ever imagined they would share. However, to display any of that affection would put them both at risks neither wanted the other to experience.

"We shouldn't do this," Keith told her, knowing it was a useless attempt to argue against his own heart. "But, I can't walk away, and all I know is that we need to be so very careful."

"We could meet in the cavern," she said optimistically. "Maybe it's time to turn that place of anger into a place of compassion."

"I like that idea," he replied softly, allowing his fingers to caress her hands. He had no idea when he might be able to be with her so freely again, and he wanted to savor the moment he was still sharing. He didn't know how he would make it through without being able to touch her or let his love for her shine openly, and he didn't know if he would be able to keep his emotions suppressed. However, he knew the alternate was unthinkable. If he wanted to protect her and everything they shared, he had no choice. If they were going to make any time together without the wrong people finding out, he had to work even harder to keep his heart buried.

"Meet me tomorrow night?" she asked hopefully, unable yet to bear the weight of her façade. She knew her request to meet so soon again after tonight was dangerous, but their time together was always uncertain. She knew that they had to make use of whatever time they could steal together, regardless of how often or how infrequent that was.

"Of course," he answered and prayed that the Drule would not decide to attack. It would be hard enough to see her alone without the castle staff, her guardians, or their friends around. The Drule would just complicate any plans that they make to be together, and with the thought that tomorrow might not come or it might be wasted in battle, Keith leaned into Allura once more.

His kiss was gentle and careful, a soft brushing of his lips on hers so that when he pulled back, there was an unfinished quality to it that made Allura crave his touch even more. However, instead of giving in to that hunger, she resisted it and decided to use that as her motivation to be certain that they make whatever time they can find to be together again.

Then, Keith released her hands, and she watched in silence as he turned into the shadows. Allura heard his footsteps softly disappear into the darkness, and she leaned against the wall. She smiled in the cover of the night, using the shadows to give her the freedom to feel the inner glow that now filled her. The empty tightness of her heart dissolved as the questions she had about Keith for so long had finally been answered. The bubble of anger that she had for herself also dissipated, as she no longer had to question her title or her purpose. She had earned the honest love of a good man, and she would deal with convincing Coran and Nanny of that when the time came. For now, she felt as free as she ever had while flying her Blue Lion, and in some strange way, she believed her Lion would not disagree with her actions tonight.

After a few moments, Allura straightened herself and stood regally. She changed direction from her original intention of visiting her personal observation deck. Instead, she took a slow pace back to her room, certain that she would finally sleep restful and deep for the first time in weeks. It was time for her to push aside the nightmares of a confusing love that was not realized but of a future that was littered with endless possibilities for herself, her people, and her planet.


End file.
